2025 National Rural Housing Conference – Workshop 1
Sustaining Homeownership Through Collective Generational Land Practices Workshop – Pt. 1
The National Rural Housing Conference took place during the week of November 2, 2025, in Washington, DC. During the conference, the Heirs’ Property forum convened practitioners, researchers, policymakers, community leaders, and funders to explore the multidimensional challenges surrounding heirs’ property. Sessions explored the lived experience of families navigating informal land tenure, the structural forces shaping risk and vulnerability, and the innovations emerging nationwide to stabilize intergenerational landownership. Panelists emphasized that across regions, from the rural South to Puerto Rico to urban Black and Brown communities, heirs’ property is not just a legal challenge but an interwoven cultural, economic, historical, and family-governance issue.
Heirs’ property refers to land passed down informally without a will or clear legal title, creating shared ownership among multiple descendants. Across all sessions, the forum revealed that heirs’ property can lead to multidimensional, intergenerational, socio-economic, cultural, and infrastructural challenges. Addressing these requires cross-sector ecosystems, legal, financial, design, philanthropic, governmental, and community-led resources, that can meet families where they are, honor their histories, and create durable structures for long-term stability.
Building on this shared understanding, the forum was organized as a pre-conference symposium featuring a series of panels, followed by two workshops during the conference week that examined these themes in greater depth. This article recaps the key takeaways from the first workshop session. This article is part of an ongoing conference series. Want to learn more? Explore the full series below.
Sustaining Homeownership Through Collective Generational Land Practices
Panelists:
- Daniel Elkin, Director of Community Development, come dream. come build.
- Jacy Fisher, Senior Associate Attorney, Gregory Varner & Associates
- Karama Neal, Principal, Neal Firm
- Jennifer Pindyck, Associate Professor, Chair of Interior Architecture and Assoc. Chair of Architecture, Auburn University
- Meagan Mitchell Davis, Research Associate, Housing Assistance Council
Overview
Heirs’ Workshop 1 focused on how families already live on and manage inherited land collectively. Panelists emphasized that collective living is not a problem to be corrected but a culturally grounded and functional system. The session highlighted the need for legal, financial, and governance structures that align with how families use land in real life.
Session Recap
1. Collective Living Is Already Normal and Intentional
Families across rural regions, particularly in the South, already practice shared living arrangements.
2. Families Need Legal Categories Beyond the Individual
Current property law centers on individuals, not families. This creates structural misalignment.
3. Not All Families Want Individualized Clear Title
Some families prefer multi-owner structures because they provide continuity, cultural anchoring, and mutual support. The purpose of heirs’ property work is not to force nuclear-ownership models, but to help families choose structures that protect their goals.
4. The Goal Is the Right Governance Structure
The session emphasized helping families identify ownership tools that reflect their practices and preferences.
Key Takeaways
• Collective living is a longstanding and functional system.
• Families need legal structures beyond individual title ownership.
• Not all families want individual title separation; solutions should respect that.
• The goal is to help families choose governance structures that support stability.
• Formal legal frameworks should reflect, not replace, cultural land practices.
Stay tuned, in the coming weeks, we will be sharing more conference highlights.
Compiled and written by Odia Kaba, Research Fellow
